A vision to create a world class visitor centre to commemorate Britain’s worst peacetime maritime disaster has been revealed.
The facility is planned to be built in Stornoway where the Admalitry yacht HMY Iolaire sank in 1919 with the loss of 201 lives.
The design concept unveiled at a consultation event in Stornoway proposes an iconic building aiming to rank in the top five visitor experiences in Scotland.
A number of events are to be held in December to mark the one hundred year anniversary of the tragedy.
The multi-million pound visitor centre would tell the story of the disaster and form part of the legacy of the centenary commemorations.
One possibility is locating the facility on the present car park area by number one pier, close to where the returning servicemen set off and where the Iolaire was due to berth.
The visitor centre is being progressed by businessman Stewart Graham.
Mr Graham said the “important project, 100 years after this most terrible tragedy, will provide a lasting legacy to the memory of the men who lost their lives.
“We should expect that what we create will encourage people from all over the UK and further afield to make visits to the island to take in this visitor experience as part of an island visit.
“Not only would this be a lasting testament, but the centre would provide a major, transformational, economic boost for the islands.”
“We should all be proud of the project and how we tell the story. We should be proud of those who were lost and who survived.”